somatostatin

noun

so·mato·stat·in | \ sō-ˌma-tə-ˈsta-tᵊn

Definition of somatostatin

: a polypeptide neurohormone that is found especially in the hypothalamus and inhibits the secretion of several other hormones (such as growth hormone, insulin, and gastrin)

Examples of somatostatin in a Sentence

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Among its functions, somatostatin inhibits production of insulin and growth hormone, and slows digestion. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "How old are your organs? Salk, UCSD mouse study finds human clues," 6 June 2019 Specifically, the peripheral nerve damage seemed to deactivate a type of interconnected brain cells, called somatostatin (SOM) interneurons, which normally dampen pain signals. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Scientists come up with neural mechanism—and possible fix—for chronic pain," 27 June 2017 These include parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SOM), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-expressing interneurons. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Scientists come up with neural mechanism—and possible fix—for chronic pain," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'somatostatin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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17 Jul 2019

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The first known use of somatostatin was in 1973

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somatostatin

noun

so·mato·stat·in | \ sō-ˌmat-ə-ˈstat-ᵊn

Medical Definition of somatostatin

: a polypeptide neurohormone that is found especially in the hypothalamus, is composed of a chain of 14 amino acid residues, and inhibits the secretion of several other hormones (as growth hormone, insulin, and gastrin)